Latest Articles
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDual β-Lactam Combinations Highly Active against Mycobacterium abscessus Complex In VitroThe emergence of chronic MABC infections among immunocompromised populations and their inherent and acquired resistance to effective antibiotic therapy have created clinical challenges in advancing patients for transplant surgery and treating those with disease. There is an urgent need for new treatment regimens, and the repurposing of existing antibiotics provides a rapid strategy to advance a laboratory finding to patient care. Our...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyHerpes Simplex Virus 1 Lytic Infection Blocks MicroRNA (miRNA) Biogenesis at the Stage of Nuclear Export of Pre-miRNAsVarious mechanisms have been identified by which viruses target host small RNA biogenesis pathways to achieve optimal infection outcomes. Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is a ubiquitous human pathogen whose successful persistence in the host entails both productive (“lytic”) and latent infection. Although many HSV-1 miRNAs have been discovered and some are thought to help control the lytic/latent switch, little is known about regulation...
Editor's Pick Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyHIV-1 Is a Poor Inducer of Innate Immune ResponsesHuman immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) continues to be a major burden to human health worldwide. How infected cells recognize and respond to HIV-1 infection is important in order to better understand the biology of the virus and the cellular pathways activated upon infection and to identify potential targets that interfere with viral replication. In this study, we investigated innate immune responses of different cell types...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCdk8 and Ssn801 Regulate Oxidative Stress Resistance and Virulence in Cryptococcus neoformansCryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that primarily affects severely immunocompromised patients, resulting in 200,000 deaths every year. This yeast occurs in the environment and can establish disease upon inhalation into the lungs of a mammalian host. In this harsh environment it must survive engulfment by host phagocytes, including the oxidative stresses it...
Letter to the Editor | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyQuantifying and Interpreting the Association between Early-Life Gut Microbiota Composition and Childhood Obesity
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Highly Polymorphic Receptor Governs Many Distinct Self-Recognition Types within the Myxococcales OrderMany biological species distinguish self from nonself by using different mechanisms. Higher animals recognize close kin via complex processes that often involve the five senses, cognition, and learning, whereas some microbes achieve self-recognition simply through the activity of a single genetic locus. Here we describe a single locus, traA, in myxobacteria that governs cell-cell recognition within natural populations. We found...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyACBD3 Is an Essential Pan-enterovirus Host Factor That Mediates the Interaction between Viral 3A Protein and Cellular Protein PI4KBSimilar to all other positive-strand RNA viruses, enteroviruses reorganize host cellular membranes for efficient genome replication. A host lipid kinase, PI4KB, plays an important role in this membrane rearrangement. The exact mechanism of how enteroviruses recruit PI4KB was unclear. Here, we revealed a role of a Golgi-residing protein, ACBD3, as a mediator of PI4KB recruitment upon enterovirus replication. ACBD3 is responsible for...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyCryptococcus deuterogattii VGIIa Infection Associated with Travel to the Pacific Northwest Outbreak Region in an Anti-Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor Autoantibody-Positive Patient in the United StatesMortality rates associated with C. gattii infections are estimated to be between 13% and 33%, depending on an individual’s predisposition, and C. gattii has caused at least 39 deaths in the PNW region. There have been four other international travel cases reported in patients from Europe and Asia...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTwo KTR Mannosyltransferases Are Responsible for the Biosynthesis of Cell Wall Mannans and Control Polarized Growth in Aspergillus fumigatusThe fungal cell wall is a complex and dynamic entity essential for the development of fungi. It allows fungal pathogens to survive environmental challenge posed by nutrient stress and host defenses, and it also is central to polarized growth. The cell wall is mainly composed of polysaccharides organized in a three-dimensional network. Aspergillus fumigatus produces a...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHuman Cytomegalovirus Immediate Early 86-kDa Protein Blocks Transcription and Induces Degradation of the Immature Interleukin-1β Protein during Virion-Mediated Activation of the AIM2 InflammasomePersistent infection with HCMV is associated with the operation of diverse evasion phenotypes directed at antiviral immunity. Obstruction of intrinsic and innate immune responses is typically conferred by viral proteins either associated with the viral particle or expressed immediately after entry. In line with this, numerous phenotypes are attributed to the HCMV IE86 protein that involve interference with innate immune processes via...